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Thursday, January 30, 2014

Be sure they become food snobs.


Last year fourth and fifth graders walked to and from my house with their teacher(s) and volunteer parents to visit my growing gardens and cook with me.

What they learned was basic:
1. eat what grows (there is no plant called Dorito)
2. get to know what grows well in your surroundings
3. eat things that grow at the same time (peas and artichokes; tomatoes and basil)
4. be kind and considerate on how you treat your plants (know about natural pest control)
5. balance your meals (carbs, protein, whole grains)

You'd think that such basic kitchen literacy is available to children.
Not for many. Regardless of income, many children have no clue about where food comes from.

Since they grew a school garden in a warmer area than mine, they were able to bring tomatoes and garlic on most visits, which we incorporated in the meals we prepared and ate.

Do your schools have edible gardens?
Do they incorporate lessons on nutrition? 

3 comments:

  1. Our local elementary school has a garden and sells produce at a farmer's market in the spring. The kids learn about farming, nutrition, cooking, and business. My kids did not get that kind of education - and neither did I. There is progress...

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  2. I love the idea of kids growing things in school. We did sunflowers, but that's all I can remember. Fortunately my parents were keen gardeners :) My goal for this year is to get a decent herb garden established.

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  3. The closest elementary school to us provides space and water for the community gardens for the neighborhood. The money for the costs of the water came from a grant that the school wrote. Many of the moms in the community garden have children in the school, but the school itself, as far as I know, does not have a curriculum where the children visit the gardens and learn about them. I wish they did.

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